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Lindley: Legislature blatantly undermines local governments

Somewhere between motivation and consequences there is a sweet spot that guides the best decision-makers and public-policy administrators.

This past week in the Florida Legislature, however, we saw this sweet spot turn sour as legislators blatantly traded their own political cravings for a ruse that undermines counties, cities and special tax districts such as those for fire protection and mosquito control.

Senators and, quickly thereafter, House members played politics in the most cunning way: They passed a joint resolution that would increase the current homestead exemptions – now $50,000 on property values up to $75,000 – by creating another $25,000 exemption on homes between $100,000 to $125,000 of value.

Homeowners for whom this applies – not everyone – will adore this third tax cut. Undoubtedly they’ll support the 2018 ballot amendment that turns HJR 7105 into law.

But thousands of Floridians working responsibly in local government gasped at the effrontery of state legislators who won’t see a penny lost from their own coffers or special projects. The state runs on sales taxes, not ad valorem taxes.

Local governments, however, do rely on property taxes and under HJR 7105, losses to local governments statewide are estimated at $644 million.

Here in Leon County, we’ll see an $8 million reduction of a roughly $230 million budget that now barely covers core services. Leon is not a wasteful county. Our budget has grown slower than the state’s budget since the recession, reflecting greater budget constraint than the state.

Florida’s term-limited, state house where a few aggressive leaders call the shots, unfortunately has turned rank-and-file members into serfs calculating what they have to trade to get a little respect for their wish lists.

The architects of HJR 1705 – which, by the way, had been requested by absolutely no one – no doubt will connect the dots for voters who by 2018 may have forgotten who tossed them this bone.

But by then, businesses, renters and other property owners who don’t get homestead exemptions, and community residents in general, will be feeling this cost shift. It won’t feel so great.

Immediately last week, we began contemplating how Leon County can prepare for cuts so deep that we will be shot back to our 2008 recession budget.

The consequences will include deep and lasting cuts for sidewalks, parks, road maintenance, capital improvement, investments in programs ranging from tourism to public health, affordable housing, jail improvements and other cuts that will hurt our constitutional officers, too.

We will try to do this within existing millage rates.

I am discouraged that Florida lawmakers have normalized reckless sleight-of-hand policy-making – no skin off their noses – that leaves local governments to pick up the pieces.

So it's utter nonsense for senators to argue that this tax shift is the home rule that counties want. Home rule is not about dodging bullets from cowboys in the Legislature.

During my years as a statehouse reporter and editorial editor, I generally saw lawmakers use their 60 days of the legislative session to shape visionary public policy for which they could take both credit and responsibility.

In recent years, those 60 days are used to pull as many political strings as possible, and with little regard for long-term consequences or accountability.

If you want transparency in government, I give you HJR 7105.

Rarely has there been a more obvious scheme by legislators whose raw political ambitions pass for public decision-making today.

Mary Ann Lindley is a Leon County Commissioner, at-large, Seat 1. She can be reached at 850-606-5369 or at lindleym@leoncountyfl.gov.